A few weeks back, Top Speed told you about Jesse James and his suicidal pursuits to push himself farther and harder than he ever has before. As part of his on-going television series, Jesse James is a Dead Man, Mr. James has set out to perform some of the craziest and looniest stunts we’ve ever seen tried to escape from a burning fuselage as preparation for this record setting attempt.
While some might question the credibility and ‘bad ass factor’ of some of his stunts, there’s no denying that James’ main event stunt is as legitimate as it gets. The man who shot to mainstream fame with his hit sow Monster Garage, recently attempted a stunt that – if he would have been successful – would have shot his name immediately into the annals of the Guiness Book of World Records.
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Why aren’t we surprised that New York City has driven away with yet another ignominious distinction to bolster their claim as a hazardous place to operate your vehicle. This time around, a recent survey/study released by Autovantage says that New York City is the home to drivers that suffer most from the ill-fated syndrome known as road rage.
Surely, we know what it’s like to drive in a city where traffic has become the norm rather than the exception and as far as traffic situations go, angry drivers are sure to follow. And yes, New York City is full of both of them.
The survey included a relatively small sample size – only the 25 largest metropolitan areas in the U.S. – trying to keep into consideration the main causes for drivers to enter a fit of rage when behind the wheel. The poll consisted of 2,518 individuals, most of whom, we’d expect are veterans of tailgating, speeding, horn honking, and the occasional verbal assaults directed at their fellow drivers.
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So what does it take to get to be number one? For athletes it means a lifetime of disciplined training, for a car company it can mean decades of thorough and consistent work, but in the recently wealthy car crazed tuner scene of the UAE, it’ll run you a little more than $14 Million. Saeed Abdul Ghafour Khouri recently shelled out 52.2 dirham, the equivalent of $14,300,000 at an auction at the 7-Star Emirates Palace Hotel in Dubai. Don’t feel bad about the money; it’s going to charity that helps accident victims.
When Saeed laid down all that dirham he was buying more than just a metal rectangle with a coat of paint on the front, he is buying a place in society. The oil-rich nations of the Persian Gulf are developing a form of car culture that makes Paris Hilton’s car collection look amateur. All these new funds have made the citizens of Abu Dhabi crazy for custom super cars. If you can imagine what it costs to have a set of rims mounted on your lowly Acura Integra, imagine the cost of milling a custom set of alloys and then mounting them on your Black Series. The UAE’s tuning scene has developed in such a way, that only a handful of these super-tuned machines could stand up to any group of big money collector cars from around the rest of the globe. The Middle East has become a place where your super car is nothing, unless its gold plated or modified to a point that would mean bankruptcy for most.
In this new status-seeking environment it is not uncommon to see a automobile wearing a number plate that is many times more expensive than the car itself. So after all, is Saeed that crazy for spending so much for the right to be first? However this can also be seen as a wise investment, because someone will always want to be number 1.
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Jesse James has never been one to turn down a challenge. The man has been never been associated with the words ‘conservative’ and ‘meek’. So it comes as no surprise that James is set to take on yet another challenge that, should he be successful, would put him on the annals of the Guiness Book of World records.
In his latest show, Jesse James is a Dead Man, the impetuous engineer, stuntman, and resident whack job is set to attempt a stunt that is as every bit as dangerous as all the others he has done in his life. Using a hydrogen-powered vehicle, James will attempt to break the land-speed record and in doing so, add this achievement to an already stellar list of ridiculous stunts he’s done throughout his career.
The weapon of destruction James is set to use is actually no stranger to speed record attempts. Called the Streamliner, the machine was most famously used by Dees-Milodin Engineering in their own attempt at history. Despite being an artifact – it was built in the 60’s! – James is pulling all the stops in rebuilding the Streamliner into a speeding bullet. He’s putting in a twin-turbocharged 9.8L V8 engine from Chevrolet and will be exclusively using hydrogen gas to power his rocket ship.
Continued after the jump.
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British racing fans have a new reason to watch Formula One this season, despite the low point that was reached when last year’s champion got caught up in an embarrassing scandal with the rest of the McLaren team, putting a cloud over the capital of motor racing. Well out with the new and in with the old, because Great Britain has a new favorite son. Jensen Button, the driver who couldn’t buy a win, and took a pay cut to ride in the Brawn GP chassis for 2009 has just set a record winning 6 of the first 7 races of the season after finishing first at the Turkish Grand Prix this past Sunday.
This is quite a turnaround for Button, who has driven Benettons, Renaults and quite a few Hondas. His previous highlights included finishing 3rd in the points behind the wheel of a BAR in 2004 before he had to wait until 2006 for his first win, also coming in a Honda this time at the Hungaroring. Until the start of this season, Jensen just wasn’t as fast as the rest of the Formula 1 field. So where did all this speed suddenly come from?
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Watch out Bugatti, because someone has just has just recorded a land speed record, for an alternatively fueled vehicle. This gas powered Audi A4 sped its way into the pages of the Guinness Book Of World Records with a 225+ MPH run. Under the hood, the four door Audi uses a modified turbocharged 3.0 Liter V6 running on compressed natural gas. An added advantage of the alternative gas is its rating of 120 octane, allowing Hohenester, the tuners which prepared the vehicle, to pile on the boost without worrying about detonation. Although the twin turbo motor makes closer to 800 HP, it was restricted to only 700 ponies for the record setting 226.55 MPH run.
What we want to know is, where to get some CNG for our test fleet.
This 1957 Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa became the most expensive car ever sold at auction this past weekend, fetching even more than the record setting 1961 California Spyder that sold at Ferrari’s Legenda E Passione for almost $11 Million about this time last year. The 250 “red head” was produced from 1957 to 1958 and the Italian automaker produced the vehicle in limited numbers, 22 to be exact. When this black and red Ferrari crossed the R&M auction block wearing the numbers 124, the final bid stood at 9,020,000 Euro (about $12 Million).
According to the Managing Director of R&M Auctions Europe, Max Girardo, “the legendary 250 Testa Rossa was one of the most exciting motor cars ever to be presented in auction history." This particular prancing horse has the longest documented racing history of any Italian stallion and was driven by classic racing drivers like the American Formula One Champion Phil Hill, Englishman Peter Collins and even the 1961 German Sportsman of the Year, Wolfgang von Trips.
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NASCAR is all about speed, I mean, how else could you have a car run between 140 and 180 MPH all day long, put them on a banked oval. The current NASCAR speed record was set by a 1987 Ford Thunderbird with NASCAR driver Bill Elliot behind the wheel at Talladega Super Speedway, and stands today at 212.089 MPH. Another blue oval badged car will be attempting to break that record, this time using an alternative fuel. Bill Elliot with have another shot behind the wheel, this time in a Mustang FR500C running on E85.
The combination of an FR500C and the Mustang Cobra Jet engine has already proven itself to be fast, the combination clocked a 252 MPH top speed run in Bonneville. But the salt goes on for miles; Elliot will have to remember to turn right every so often so he doesn’t take flight thanks to the 33 degree banking.
Press release after the jump.
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If you thought that Mini made smallest cars in Britain, just have a look at this thing. 26 inches wide and 39 inches high, those are the measurements of the world’s smallest automobile. Built by Perry Watkins, this transformed children’s toy was reinforced with a steel frame, a 150 cc gasoline burning engine, mirrors, lights and even windshield wipers in order to get the ex Postman Pat ride MOT approved.
It’s official; thanks to the U.S. based World Records Academy this British mini car has earned the title of “the world’s smallest car.”
Personally, I’m a little partial to the engine scoop and flames.
If the executives at Porsche became flustered when Nissan announced their previous GT-R Nurburgring record, they should now be ready to explode in frustration. Back in April Nissan set a single lap record around the 12.9 mile Green Hell of 7 minutes and 27 seconds in their GT-R equipped with a set of SpecV rims. This time Godzilla negotiated the 33 left and 40 right turns of the ‘Ring in only 7 minutes and 26 seconds.
Previous Nissan GT-Rs have recorded lap times of 7 minutes 27 seconds on April 15, 2009, 7 minutes 29 seconds in April, 2008 and 7 minutes 38 seconds back in September of 2007.
According to Kazutoshi Mizuno, Chief Vehicle Engineer and Chief Vehicle Specialist for the GT-R: "This record demonstrates our commitment to the continuous evolution of the Nissan GT-R. We would like to continue delivering the passion and pride of ownership to our customers by improving its performance every year."
Press release after the jump.
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